Heated Reunion! Sadow
Previously on My Inferno: The group arrive in a small town to relax, just a day's away from Engeland. While Uriel 'mildly' enjoys her day at a spa, Metharme meets a stylist Android named Paphos, who forces her on different hairstyles. Pandora meets an enigmatic figure named Loki, Shade catches up with his father, and Baldr helps a young girl with her shopping. As the day closes, however, the travelers head off for Engeland, bound by fate to reunite with the enigmatically charismatic Akihiro! thumb|300px|right|Opening The Proud. The Beautiful. The Brittannian. Uriel was clearly bored, sitting at her table with her chin rested on her hand and her elbow rested on the table's surface. The group had managed to purchase a boat ride into Engeland's water canals. The ferryman had been ranting on about Engeland's beauty and size, but Uriel didn't seem to care. Pandora, on the other hand, was very interested in his detailed description, sitting by him paying close attention as if he were a preacher. This was what Sadow found largely ironic. An Angel bored by a sermon. He resisted a laugh as Creed walked out of his cabin and stretched "Power naps..." He yawns and continues "They do me wonders. Hey ferryman, how much longer 'till we reach the capital?" The old man stood slowly, his clear arthritis showing. "And yet he runs a boat..." Sadow thought. He answered while smiling, teeth missing from his mouth "Well now, sonny, we happen to be right... here!" He points dramatically at the capital of Brittannia, the glorious and impeccable Engeland. The ferryman's descriptions didn't come close to describing it's perfection. Sadow stared on, amazed, as Creed and the old man smirked back at him in pride of their country's great city. Pandora and Uriel were practically hanging off the side of the boat, marvelling at the city's water canal entrance, which was wider and taller than they could've imagined. As the boat sailed in, the group managed to view the fish market district of the city. Even around all the smelly fish, the city seemed perfect. It was as if God itself forged this town with it's own glorious craft. The stone pavement was smooth and designed so symmetrically, square by square, rectangle by rectangle. The bustling of the city streets was clear, cars going by hurriedly. But even the busiment of the speeding vehicles seemed artistic. No gas fumed out and no damp smell of gasoline apparent. Flags with the Brittannian "Glory to the Crown" symbol waved high atop every shop, house, chapel, venue, and so on. A small boy pointed at Uriel and tugged on his mother's sleeve "'ey, motha! What's that? Is that a pigeon girl?" Uriel clenched her teeth, preparing to spank the boy for the insult. Quickly, Sadow restrained her and through a robe around her, whispering in her ear "Conceal those things! We don't want to attract too much attention!" Uriel smirked "The way things are around here, no attention can be diverted from this city alone. Seriously, look at this place! Even the poor people seem happy to be living here!" She gestured to an alleyway where a group of homeless had huddled around a trash can, the contents lit aflame for warmth and to illuminate the darkness of their home. They didn't look too miserable. In fact, they seemed happy to be living in such a city, despite their destitution. Pandora jumped with glee "Can we please go shopping after we find this Akihiro, Sadow? Pleeease?" She put on a begging look, which Uriel quickly joined in. Metharme followed suit out of nowhere. Sadow asked her "Metharme, why do you want to go shopping?" Metharme clarified "Sight-seeing. I must gather knowledge of how humans communicate in trade if I am to succesfully..." she held up her index and middle fingers on each hand and bent them as she finished "...haggle." Sadow frowned comically "We're poor as dirt." He turned to a homeless man who was walking on a sidewalk next to the boat, close enough to hear "No offense." He smiled "None taken." Pandora and Uriel laced their hands together and begged harder "Pleeeeease?!" Sadow sighed "Fine. After we find Akihiro." As they exited the boat, Creed paid the ferryman what little money he had. "Sorry... I wish I had more to give..." He smiled embarrassedly while scratching the back of his head. The ferryman smiled "Don't worry about it. Just enjoy the city. It is a gem, after all." Creed nodded "Indeed. Thank you so much again." The boat set off as they turned to form a plan of search. Sadow turned to Creed as he was the most knowledgeable about the city. "So... where do you think Akihiro may be?" Creed smirked "Same place I need to go. The Royal Palace. I need to inform His Majesty that I have, most unfortunately, failed to recover the sacred treasure. Odds are if Akihiro is not there, the King will know where he is." Sadow nodded "Very well. Off to the palace, then." Reunion At Last Uriel awed at the palace entrance. "If only I could spread my wings and fly up and see how tall it really is..." Sadow shook his head "Don't you dare. We need to appear normal here." She crossed her arms and turned away, like a spoiled child that wasn't getting it's way "Hmph. It's not as if all of them would see me..." Sadow raised a brow "Indeed, I've been meaning to ask you about that. Why can only a few people see you and others can't?" Uriel shrugged "It has something to do with the Universal Truth." Sadow insisted "Which is...?" She shrugged once more "I was sleeping during that class." He slaps his palm to his face in shame. The halls of the royal palace were littered with gold and shine. It glimmered bright like the stars of the night sky. Hung on the walls were portraits of old Kings, Queens, Knights, Champions, Heroes, and many other things Brittannia was proud of. They had a long history of heroism. One of the portraits depicted King Arthur, who ruled one thousand years before the present day, clashing swords with his acursed spawn of a son, Mordred. Sadow smirked at this. Uriel asked curiously "Like that painting, Sadow?" He shook his head "Mordred killed King Arthur, and my ancestor killed Mordred in turn. Maikun Yatsumaru, Champion of Riverdale. I am surprised they don't hang a portrait of him in here." A stern, refined voice called out "They have. It's in the hallway leading to the war room, if you must know." Turning, the group saw a Priest with long, silver hair and dark, purple eyes wearing tinted glasses. He smiled genuinely at them "Greetings, visitors. My name is Father John IV. I am one of the Clerics that run the St. Berthstard Chapel on William Street. I take it you are looking for the Throne room? After all, a military meeting is held there and you look particularly armed for service." His eyes shifted and noticed Creed and his smile broadened in delight to see him "Creed! Welcome back! Did you find what you sought?" Creed frowned and shook his head "I am afraid not, Father. I searched all around Brittannia these past few weeks but to no luck." Grimacing, the Father ressurected his smile "Do not fret about it, my child. While it would've been good to have the Grail, the power of God will still be on our side in this war. And that will certainly be enough." Creed nodded and held his clenched fist to his heart "Thank you, Father. And yes, we are heading to the Throne room." The Priest smiled "Let my hand guide you there, then." At this, they were off. Uriel walked next to him but he seemed to ignore her. Frowning, she waved her hand in front of his face as they walked. He still ignored her. Sighing, she shrugged "I guess this Priest isn't all he's cracked up to be, huh?" The group reached the large double doors leading to the Throne room. Sadow had become tense, his eyes fixed on the doors that would be the only obstacle between him and Akihiro. Pandora looked worriedly at Sadow as Father John gripped the handles of the doors and slowly opened them. They were greeted by turning heads of Knights and Royal Guards stacked in elaborate, Golden Plate armour and wearing capes of white with Crusader symbols embelished on the backs. The Captain of the guard was a girl about Pandora's age, with blonde hair put up in a bun and silver armour, shaped like a corsette at the bottom. She wore a blue dress as underarmour, and her blue eyes traveled to the visitors. The King himself sat on his throne. He seemed to illuminate the room with his golden armour, hair, and young face. The only thing odd about him was his red eyes, though Sadow doubted it was anything Demonic. Just a strange heredity passed down from years of unsuccessful inbreeding along the lines of Royal family. His chin was lifted off his armoured hand, a strange look of interest on these newcomers. The light from the chandaliers above reflected off his polished armour, which was clearly kept in pristine condition at all times. His cheek rested on his hand again as he smirked at the sight of Creed, sure that he recovered what he was sent for. Standing in the corner with a few generals was a Kushan Giant, who's wrinkled face was shrouded by his long, dark hair. Still, his single glowing, red eye was a bit of an eerie sight. Sitting on his shoulder was a little girl with long, flowing white hair and bright, pinkish-red eyes. She tilted her head curiously at the visitors, namingly Sadow. She thought to herself "He looks just like Lord Akihiro..." Sadow's eyes traveled around the room, searching. And he spotted exactly what he was looking for. A sight so emotionally devastated, his legs shook uncontrollably. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped, a drop of sweat sliding down his cheek. There he was. The man he had been searching for this entire time was in the same room as him. He wore black dress shoes and black leisure pants with a white coat and a Leopard-skin undershirt. He had short white hair, with bangs framing his forehead. He looked surpised but in such a surreal way that it seemed as if he thought he were dreaming. His eyes only widened slightly in surprise to see Sadow. Pandora noted the man Sadow was staring at looked just like him though a bit... slimmer... and extremely handsome. She looked back at Sadow as Creed started up the hall "Greetings, my Liege! I-" Before he could finish, Sadow had darted past him in a mad-dash toward Akihiro, both swords drawn and poised to strike. Akihiro quickly whirled around and clutched the handle of his blade, his face stern and serious. Everyone's eyes had widened in utter shock. Sadow's speed in his sprint was unlike that anyone had ever seen a human-being run. The Throne room was vast and long, but Sadow had covered half the ground in a blinding second! Pandora, who had been with Sadow for a few weeks and has seen him fight countless times, had never seen him so quick! His teeth were clenched like an angry animal feeling threatened. Four of the Royal guards charged toward Sadow with their iron Axe-Pikes raised threateningly, though Sadow merely knocked them out of the way with swift kicks and hard hits with the blunt handles of his swords. Their armour was too heavy for them to get back up on their own, so they merely wobbled around clumsily like turtles while Sadow continued to charge toward his target, eyes ablaze with hatred. "Akihiro! You bastard!" Eight more guards ran up as the captain unsheathed her sword. The Kushan and the girl watched on as the eight Royal guards surrounded Sadow and knocked his blades out of his hands, knocking him down on his knees and two of them restrained his arms. Another two held their blades to his neck restrainingly. Pandora gave a worried look as the King demanded "Creed! What is the meaning of this?!" Creed apologized with a loyal bow "I am deeply sorry, my Leige... He told me he wanted to meet Akihiro and, possibly, join his group. I had no idea he'd-" The King held up a hand for silence as Creed quickly closed his mouth, refraining from uttering more. He turned to Sadow and sternly dictated "I'm not sure why you tried to attack one of my men, but if it had something to do with the fact that Brittannia has never hired Mercenaries before, then I want none of it." Sadow clenched his teeth "To hell with that!" They all looked surprised by the outburst at the King, even he himself. Sadow continued "Akihiro, why don't you tell them why I want you dead?! Is it because you want to appear noble?! Huh?!" Akihiro smiled and withdrew his hand from the handle of his sword. "Such an unrefined way to greet your older brother, little Sadow." Everyone in the room was taken back by the words Akihiro had just spoken. Pandora stared at the two back and forth, adding up the odds. "His... brother? Akihiro is Sadow's... brother? But how? He told me his family was all dead!" Sadow answered this for her by spitting out at Akihiro spitefully "You are dead to me, Akihiro! Dead! Let go of me!" He struggled to be free of the grip of the guards. The captain held her blade to Sadow's cheek "Silence, knave! The King will decree thine punishment justly for attempting to strike the commander of Brittannia's supporting Mercenary force!" Sadow glared up at Akihiro, who was smiling with confidence. "Clever bastard... Hiding behind an entire country...!" The King stood and raised his armoured hand "By order of his Majesty, I decree this man to spend four years in the stocks for treason of state!" Akihiro turned to the King and notioned "Milord, if I may... Perhaps I can personally oversee this man. Since we are in need of men with skill in swords and a Yatsumaru like my brother is assuredly so, why not have him serve his country as payment for the deed?" Sadow was shocked by this. Akihiro was... helping him? But why? The King scratched his chin contemplatingly, everyone in the room watching him. He looked back at Sadow examiningly. "That speed could be put to good use against Kushan steel..." he thought. He nodded at Akihiro "Very well. But keep him on a tight leash." Akihiro bowed to him "Thank you, my Liege. I will ensure he will be obedient." The King waved a hand while sitting back on his throne "Release him." The Royal guards released a dumbfounded Sadow, who stared up at his brother, not knowing what to say or do. Eventually, he came to a conclusion after a sympathetic Pandora put her hand on his shoulder. He would fight for Brittannia, but keep his gaze on Akihiro. When their business was done in Kusha, the Yatsumaru brothers would spill each other's blood. He smirked up at Akihiro, "Fine. I'll fight for you guys. But don't you dare think of going anywhere else, Akihiro. You and I have unfinished business." Akihiro nodded in agreement and clarified "After the war with Kusha is through." The captain sheathed her sword and blushed at Akihiro. "So noble and merciful..." Spotting this, Eve huffed jealously. Her eyes avert towards Pandora and she smiles cheerfully at the potential friend. She hops off of the Kushan Giant's shoulder and skips over to Pandora, who was busy watching Sadow be guided by armoured guards to a detention area to await a private meeting with Akihiro. Eve tapped Pandora's shoulder to get her attention, causing her to jump slightly in surprise. Eve giggled at this and greeted "Hi there! I am the Pheonix Wing's Power House, the elegant princess Evanthiel! But my friends call me Eve. How do you do?" Pandora was comically startled by the appearance of this girl. They looked to be the same age but she was just so... bubbily. Pandora nervously replied "I'm... Pandora. Daughter of Olympian Blacksmith Hephae-" Eve cut in "Great! I'm sure we're gonna be great friends, Pandra!" Pandora frowned comically and muttered "Pandora..." Eve put an arm around her shoulder and guided her down the throne room hall, to the exit "Right, right... Hey, Lord Aki~ We're heading out~" Akihiro nodded at her "Just be careful, Eve. Brittannia is a big place and you could easily get lost." Eve smiled while blushing at his concern "I-I will... Don't worry..." As they exited the room, the Kushan Giant turned to Akihiro and gruffed "I will follow her and make sure nothing happens." Akihiro smiled and nodded "You have leave to go, Ares." At this, he turned and followed the two. He found Baldr waited just outside the Throne room exit doors, peeking at them from around a corner. He questioned "Are you affiliated with the dark-haired girl?" Baldr nodded "And I assume you are the guardian of the white-haired one." Ares nodded back and they both turned to watch the two run down the Brittannian Royale Palace's halls. Blood Brothers Creed, Shade, Uriel, Metharme, and Father John IV stood silently in the Brittannian Court in front of the King, who sat on his throne with a grimace. He turned to Akihiro and nodded, signifying he had leave to meet with Sadow. Akihiro smiled and bowed before the King before turning and leaving. Shade eyed him cautiously. "Mysterious man... And he's a Yatsumaru. No doubt his swordplay is refined." The King turned to Creed "Now then... Tell me, Creed. Why, instead of the Holy Grail, you have brought me these dangerous people?" Creed knelt down, his head bowed and his ponytail resting over his shoulder "My deepest apologies, Sire. I have searched everywhere in Brittannia but all I have gathered are faint clues with no real meaning. Just gibberish piled together by people's wild fantasies. You wouldn't know how many people claimed to have either been related to servants of or have family members of trusted relation to King Arthur." The King sighed "Nice to know how trust worthy my countrymen are. Where did you find these people?" Creed answered "Lake Wintershire, milord. The white-haired one was searching for the whereabouts of Akihiro so I led him here. I merely assumed he was wanting to join the ranks of Pheonix Wing. I was... gravely mistaken." The King held up a hand "Do not be, Creed. He is a Yatsumaru. He will serve greatly to our cause. When the Holy Lands are ours, his crime will be pardoned." Sadow hung against a cold, stone dungeon wall by chains. He was stripped of his armour and was only wearing rags. He heard a clanking noise and opened his eyes to see his greatest enemy enter the room. He clenched his teeth bitterly while glaring "Akihiro..." Akihiro smirked "How goes it, brother? You've caused quite the trouble earlier." Sadow muttered "One must wonder why..." Sadow exclaimed "You know damn well why you treacherous son of a bitch!" Akihiro frowned and sighed "Still the bitter old brute, I see... Have you not taken into consideration the notion of... regret?" Sadow was startled by this. Akihiro regrets what he did? He surely didn't act like it last they saw each other... "Then why did you do it, Akihiro?! Why did you kill our family if you were just going to regret it afterwards?!" Akihiro turned, his back facing Sadow "Sometimes, people do things when their ambition clouds their judgement, Sadow." After a long silence, Akihiro dismissed "In a few hours, you'll be facing a member of Pheonix Wing for both training and to see how much you already know. Be prepared, brother..." At this, he left Sadow alone. Alone to weep in the dungeon he was chained in. Shade rounded a corner in the Brittannian halls. He was hopelessly lost in this labyrinth of a palace. He turned to one of the guards stationed in the halls and asked "Excuse me, sir, but can you direct me to the firing range? Creed told me there was one out in the garden that the Pheonix Wing was using." The guard replied "The exit to the Royal garden is down the hall, to the left, down that hall, and to the right. From there, the firing range is at the far back at the edge, near the orchard." Shade nodded "Thank you." and turned to the direction he was given. Upon entering the garden, he noted it's lush beauty and fragrance. It smelled of warm grass and autumn wind. The peaceful moment was ruined by the loud sounds of gunshots heard in the distance. He raced out to see the firing range and meet the other gunsmen using it, only to find a lone, blonde-haired man wearing an eyepatch and a Duster uniform reloading his rifle. He was staring back at Shade curiously and stated sternly "This range is off limits." Shade replied "Please. A Kagekyo makes a firing range his home." The blonde-haired man's eye widened in surprise "You're a Kagekyo?" Shade nodded "Shade Kagekyo, at your service." Cane grimaced "Shade of the Night Breeze, eh? I am known as Cane." Shade looked down at Cane's modified rifle "Nice rifle. Is that a laser scope attachment?" Cane looked down at it and nodded "It's been modified for sniping in the dark. I'm just making sure the armour-piercing rounds work effectively." He points his index finger to the metal wall with a target behind it. The target is moving but has several holes in it's head and chest. Shade whistled, impressed, and commented "You seem to have quite the handy arsenal at your disposal, Cane. Allow me to show you mine." At this, Shade pulled out the "Red Dragon" pistol given to him by Hephaestus. Cane oggled at it's charm and watched as Shade blew a burning hole in the wall and through the moving target. Cane's jaw dropped as Shade smirked and blew the smoke off the end of the barrel. Uriel and Metharme were in the Royal courtyard of the palace, leaning against a railing. Sadow stood alone in the courtyard, armed, and awaiting the arrival of his opponent. A crowd of nobles and soldiers had come to watch the fight themselves. Uriel grimaced "I wonder how tough Sadow's opponent'll be." Metharme watched on "The white-haired warrior will prevail. He is a very versatile combatant." Uriel frowned "Exactly. His brother must know how tough Sadow is and probably would pick one of their top fighters." All of the heads turned as the doors on the balcony entrance to the courtyard with a stairwall on each side opened, the inside shrouded in shadow. Sadow turned to face his opponent with a stern look on his face. Everyone watched anxiously as a person approached the entrance. The light of the sun revealed a face familiar to all of them. Uriel and Sadow's eyes widened in shock to discover that Akihiro himself was going to be Sadow's sparring partner. The crowd murmured to each other things such as "Two Yatsumaru fighting each other! What a sight this will be!" and "I wonder if this brother will be a match for the legendary Akihiro..." Uriel thought to herself "He planned this all along... Everyone here thinks he's facing Sadow simply because of the rumour that only a Yatsumaru can fight another on equal ground, but that's not it... The real reason is... Akihiro wants to test Sadow. To see if he'll show the restraint in not killing him that will be needed in the campaign. Or maybe, it's to mock him. To taunt him with the fact that if he kills him, he'll be sentenced to life in a Brittannian cell." Akihiro didn't bother to go down either set of stairs to the right or left of him. Instead, he leapt off the small balcony and landed gracefully in front of it, marching formally toward the ring. Sadow stared at him with burning hatred in his eyes, clutching his weapons tightly. Uriel clasped her hands together and prayed Sadow had the strength to not kill his brother. The brothers circled each other in a staredown, Akihiro's sword drawn and at the ready. After a few seconds of suspenseful encirclement and mental preparation, the two clashed blades, Akihiro's Katana-like sword against Sadow's white blade. Sadow brought up his black sword and knocked Akihiro's blade away from him. He backed up a few inches and charged at his smirking foe, his swords raised. Akihiro side-stepped each angry strike that came his way, dodging each with graceful ease as each miss made Sadow more determined to hit him. Sadow's speed intensified but brought him no results. Akihiro chuckled "You lack finesse, brother. Your anger is making you rash and leaving you open to strikes." At this, Akihiro gave Sadow an example of his faulty by kicking him in the side. Much to his surprise, Sadow managed to block it. But the surprised look on Akihiro's face faded back into his signature smirk "Not bad. You weren't the brightest bulb in the bunch as a child when taking fencing lessons. Suddenly so good?" With an angered roar, Sadow shoved away Akihiro's leg and continued his barrage of swings. Attempting a low, sweeping kick to knock Akihiro off his feet, Sadow was alarmed at how high his brother could jump. When Akihiro was descending, he aimed a chopping kick to land down on Sadow, who guarded it with crossed arms above his head and blades poised to reach past each other in a scissor-like motion with the potential to effectively cut off Akihiro's leg. Reacting quickly, Akihiro stabbed his sword in between the two razor-like blades to prevent them from slicing off his leg. He then proceeded to do a back flip while kicking Sadow under the chin, knocking him into the air and against the stone-hard ground. Akihiro landed gracefully on the ground across from him, sword at his side as he gave a genuinely worried look "Are you alright, brother?" Sadow rubbed his chin sorely while glaring scornfully at Akihiro. He smiled and laughed, rubbing the back of his head shamefully "I guess so. Sorry about that... I didn't mean to kick you that hard, honest." Sadow wondered to himself "Why is he being so... brotherly? After all he has done to me? This may just be a show for his audience but... this feels so... real... His eyes look caring, not deceptive. And his posture doesn't show any lacking. Either he's a brilliant actor... or he might have... changed..." He shook away these thoughts and quickly got to his feet, ready to resume the bout. Akihiro smirked "Might I recommend using more versatile moves? You'll never reach me if you play it so straight-forward." Sadow grimaced and, after some thought, formed a confident smirk "Alright... You want versatile, I'll give you versatile." At this, he charged toward Akihiro, who readied his blade. Sadow did a front flip over his opponent, slashing down at him from above while in midair. Smirking with little interest, Akihiro guarded the effort with ease. Using his brother's strength to keep himself suspended, Sadow brought his knee against Akihiro's upper back, toward his shoulder, in hopes of knocking him to the ground. While the hit was a success, Akihiro merely staggered but kept on his feet. Sadow cursed internally and slashed toward his brother while he was behind him, only to be further disappointed by Akihiro guarding it with a swift movement over his shoulder, not looking at his opponent. Akihiro commented "Nice move. Would've worked if I wasn't a Yatsumaru." He turned and kicked Sadow away, who staggered to reclaim his balance. The crowd were in complete awe. This displays of mastery over the art of the sword far surpassed that of the local guard. If the Yatsumaru were still around, they would've been one of Brittannia's most valuable allies. Sadow's blades were like a pair of Dragonfly wings, buzzing about rapidly. They looked like black and white waves of graceful beauty, spinning around Akihiro in a rhythmic dance. Akihiro whistled in surprise while guarding the onslaught in a twirling motion "You remember the Hidden Scissor Dance! What a surprise. You never were too good at it. But then again, you never really were the expert swordsman yourself." Sadow smirked while ducking a slice from Akihiro "I'm a slow learner!" Sadow's white blade clashed against Akihiro's once and they both jumped back to the opposite sides of the ring. Sadow held both of his swords behind him in a stance ready to chop. Akihiro, in turn, held his blade behind him and low for an uppercut-slice. They both charged at each other, prepared to give all of their strength into these single strikes. Uriel stared on in amazement and suspense as Metharme calculated the possibilities and results. The nobles and guards were on the edges of their seats or standing so close to the ring they could climb over it. This was a fight between gods of war. A family bred for battle. A purebreed of war machines. When they reached a minimal distance from each other, Sadow slammed his blades down as Akihiro let his rise, the two connecting in a loud screech of metal. Lonely Nights and Clouding Thoughts Sadow lay on the roof of the apartment he was given. He stared up at the night sky in wonder. The moon was so large it looked like it threatened to collapse on the Earth. "What a sight, the moon is... It's closer to the Earth tonight. I wonder if it wishes to be with Brittannia during her time of iminent conflict. Or perhaps... the Goddess of the Moon is understanding my feelings of confusion and is trying to comfort me..." A voice he recognized as Akihiro's greeted from behind "Still gazing up at the stars, I see. Oh, but what a lovely moon we have out tonight. Truly the Goddess of the Moon shines upon us." He sat next to Sadow, who ignored the friendly attempt at a conversation-starter. Akihiro smiled up at the moon and asked "Mother kept telling us how the stars were the Moon's children. The way I see it, the moon and the stars are dreams." This was the first time Akihiro had spoken to Sadow like this. Often times he was distant and detached, but now he was opening up. Sadow listened intently, wondering where Akihiro was going with this subject "Millions upon millions of dreams in the night sky... Everything everyone strives for is up there. But only one dream can be as mighty and as noticeable as a moon. A dream so magnificent, the stars surround it in awe. I want my dream to be like that." Sadow asked, curious "What is your dream...?" Akihiro smiled and stood, looking down at him with the sun behind his head, silhouetting him from it's brightness "To illuminate the world. To enlighten everyone. To reshape this dismal existance to a form more perfect than any painting or sculpture or form of dress can indicate. A perfect, pristine world. A better future. That, Sadow, is my dream. What about you? What is your dream?" Sadow closed his eyes "I don't have one. Dreams can cloud judgement. Ambitions make one blind." Akihiro smiled "Well, To-Each-His-Own, I suppose." He layed back next to Sadow and pointed at a cluster of stars excitedly "Oh, look! The Big Dipper!" He pointed to another "And who can forget the Northern Cross?" Sadow smirked and pointed to one shaped like an outward explosion "...Or the Bursting Righteous?" Akihiro grimaced "I've never heard of that one- Wait, do you mean Ryoshi's makeshift blowtorch?" Sadow nodded and the two chuckled in remembrance. Sadow added "Remember when he caught aunt Resolan's embroidery on fire with that thing? She was more livid than the fire itself!" Akihiro laughed hard at this and struggled to add "Or... Or when he got the end of father's hair on fire and he had to stamp on it to put it out?" Both were laughing uncontrollably at this. The images of their older brother's mischief with his invention flashing in their minds. Akihiro wiped a tear from his eye, his laughter dying down "Oooh... Feels like only yesterday." Sadow's wide smiled faded into a sad lamentful look "...Do you... truly regret what you did, Akihiro?" His smile fading at the question as well, Akihiro turned to him with a stern look "Do not assume me as some sort of monster. It was... impulse and recklessness, on my part. I am reminded of that day every single day I live, and I doubt it will ever leave me, nor will they ever forgive me. Mine is an eternally damned soul." Sadow remembered his deal to Hell. Power in exchange for Akihiro's soul. "I could end it right now..." he thought "...I can end Akihiro's life right now. But... I... don't want to... Why? He took everything from me and now, here he is. I don't fear Brittannia, it's not like they can kill me anyways. But... Still... Why do I hesitate like this? Am I... pitying him?" Akihiro stared up at the night sky and muttered "But... at least I still have you..." Sadow grimaced "I can never forgive you fully. What you did was beyond atrocious. Beyond horrid. But... I can at least... try to forgive you..." Akihiro smiled at him, his eyes gleaming as if, at any moment, tears would stream down his cheeks. He choaked out "I'm happy to hear that, Sadow... I really am..." Sadow smiled and turned back to the giant moon above them. His reunion with his deeply hated brother was quick and strange but... now he felt more comfort than he could have if he had killed him. Now he understood it. Deep down, despite the things he did, Akihiro was all he had left. His only other family member. "I can't completely forgive him...", he thought. "But... I can at least try..." Preview Next time on My Inferno: Eve and Pandora tour Brittannia! And Creed meets the love of his life! But who is the mysterious Emperor of Kusha, and why is he so terrifying? Find out in the next chapter of My Inferno!